I had a go at watching the show a while back to see what the fuss was about. Turned me into a fan (and the expressive meme pictures are generally funny too, that didn't hurt). I don't know if I'd lay claim to the title of "brony" or anything, I've no desire to go to conventions or buy lumps of plastic. But seeing the backlash against the dedicated fans made consider why the show exploded the way it did, and I've narrowed it down to a few points.

1. It's a well-done show. Everything about the show is high quality. The humor, animation, songs, voice-acting and overall style/setting, it's clearly a labor of love. It's certainly not a unique cartoon in this respect but this is the solid foundation any fandom.2. It's a good show. Not good as in repeating the point above, but good in that it purports a set of ideals, sweetness and light and all that jazz. In a world that drowning in anti-heroes, grimdark and sarcasm, a haven setting where you can feel good is becoming more and more rare.3. It very rarely goes insipid. The show never really stoops down and makes baby-gurgling noises at the audience. The characters speak quickly and with a full vocabulary, and the lessons of each episode fall out naturally from the events.4. The whole premise of the show is community - Friendship is right there in the title. With a message like that, the sudden blossoming of a whole gaggle of pony fans who take strength and support from each other ought not to be all that surprising!5. Not as big as the other points, but the "feminist" tone of the show is actually one of the better examples I've seen in how to do it in this form of media. Too many efforts have fallen into the trap of making their message "Girls can do anything boys can do" with the inclusion of such characters as the "gamer/nerd girl" or "badass girl" or "bully girl." Whereas the ponies embrace the much less combative and freer "Girls can do anything they want to do" that is only a synapse away from the lovely equalist idea of "Anyone can be anything they want to be."

And, obviously, there's a lot of good old young adult rebellion going in liking the show. Weird, but it could be worse. Way worse. :)

Duck_of_Doom:Help us learn about your interest so we're not knee-jerky.

Well, it's kinda hard to explain the appeal of the show since whenever you try, you immediately get told you're just lying and trying to excuse being a pedophile... or are secretly an emasculated guy that prances around in a rainbow colored tutu.

Honestly? I don't let what Farkers, specially the troll ones, and their opinions define me. I don't need their approval in order to feel good about myself -- although that does not mean I will just stand on the sidelines if they're attacking others.

I really like the show, I recommend it highly and have shared the episodes at the schools I work at... the librarians will every now and then play the dvds I bought and donated to the library -- I rarely talk about the show in real life, I wont "evangelize", I will only talk about it if they seem they are open to the idea and I will not get upset or throw a fit if they don't like the show. Everyone has different tastes and I respect that.

I try to stay away from the fandom as much as I can. There are parts of the fandom that are really... ugh... but should be noted that every other fandom is the same... be it star trek, sonic, and whatnot...

On the other hand, the fandom is known for supporting a bunch of charities, be it cancer drives, an orphanage in africa and whatnot -- heck, if I recall correctly, there is actually an actual FiM charity registered so that donations are tax deductible... and then they distribute that money to other charities.

Not sure what else I can say...

ds_4815:I can very much understand why others get pissed when they pop up en masse in "their" separate threads (sports in particular). Likewise for trolls in the Saturday pony threads, but the result of that is more entertainment than annoyance, I suppose.

Truth be told, I post ponies on the NFL because its fun, and because some people throw a fit over something so silly. I bet there would be less ponies posted on the NFL threads (with Captain Steroid, FNB and me being the main culprits) if people were not going all "Ack! A pony! My day is ruined now"

Reynard:I had a go at watching the show a while back to see what the fuss was about. Turned me into a fan (and the expressive meme pictures are generally funny too, that didn't hurt). I don't know if I'd lay claim to the title of "brony" or anything, I've no desire to go to conventions or buy lumps of plastic. But seeing the backlash against the dedicated fans made consider why the show exploded the way it did, and I've narrowed it down to a few points.

People become fan of the shows because its a good show... good writing, good music, good animation, and a good source to shout outs only adults would get -- the fact that the characters in the show are pastel colored marshmallow equines is completely circumstantial.

Oh christ, apparently this thread turn into a circle jerk of socially awkward fifteen year olds patting themselves on the back about how 'cool' they are for hating on a cartoon. Sad.

You guys are posting on Fark. That alone will define you as never being cool.

Your shiat isn't even unique. You know how many times I've seen it?

You like Rock n Roll, you're a commie.

You like Star Trek or Star Wars, you're a forever Virgin

You play D & D, you're a satanist

You're a Goth, you're a death-obsessed loser.

You like anime, you're an ultraviolent pervert deviant

You're a gamer, you're a slacker loser and will never amount to anything.

etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

You know, I was never big into the ponies, I just liked trolling haters, but its pretty clear to me now the bronies are far better people than you lot. You and the shiat you spout pops up every time something new and popular comes along, and you're always wrong. The only true group of losers on the internet who truly endures are the clueless haters.

You want people to ignore you because you make up bad lyrics or because you collect toys that allow you to have connections with 7 year old girls? If you are really serious post a pony pic because nobody is sick of those yet.

StrangeQ:Keizer_Ghidorah: Because People in power are Stupid: Real headline: Pedophile website to lure children shut down.

Yes yes yes, because the only reason someone can like something is because of how easy it is to entrap children, however that works in your minds. Can't be because they find the something interesting or fun, nope, for you people it's all about the pedophilia. Really shows which group thinks more about molesting kids, doesn't it?

There are women who love Transformers, GI Joe, and other little boy things, are they also doing it for the sole purpose of raping children?

It's fine to like things that aren't meant for your demographic - no one should ever tell you otherwise. But for those that decry Hasbro for this, let me list out a few things you should definitely thing about:

For starters, they own the copyrights. It's their property, which means it's their decision

Secondly, unless it exists like Club Penguin, you cannot have something meant for children as an MMO. There are a lot of clueless parents who will give their child access to anything with a kid's show on it. There are a lot of sick people who will exploit their ability to hide behind a cartoon pony avatar. This is the kind of game that needs to be handled very delicately, or Hasbro, bronies, and the creators of the game will all suffer. Badly. Hasbro decided that they'd rather not let a bunch of random people make something that could potentially ruin their image.

I will be honest- I dont get the whole pony thing. I do find many pics of them funny, which is nice.However- I really dont get any hate directed towards those who like my little pony- its just stupid.I mean, so what ? does folks liking the show, or dressing up like a character affect your life in any damn way ? NO.Hells bells- I collect LOTR dolls and figures and use Barbie dolls in beer displays, and many might find that creepy as I am 44, but nobody is hurt.And you really would not believe how many kids have asked their parents why they cant have the barbies on the ( insert beer name ) display because they looked like they were having fun.Not to mention the awkward pause when mommy or daddy explains that the two girls were collecting the shells and comparing them to see who had the coolest one ( I use real sea shells, from the seashore, that I bought from Sally- thats why ken and ken or barbi and whomever are stiting so close ....

I wish I could freak everyone out with the LOTR dolls, but.... they sadly MUST stay in the package.Anyhow- I always laugh at pics posted in Pony threads, you damn Bronies, so please- Carry on.

ds_4815:Duck_of_Doom: ITT, trying to have a discussion about it leads to reactive shutting down of discussion via trolling and meme. Yeah yeah, welcome to Fark.

Also in close conjunction with my views. Reasoned responses/defenses of why one enjoys the show usually get lost in a sea of diabetes-inducing macros. Much as I like the memes, I can very much understand why others get pissed when they pop up en masse in "their" separate threads (sports in particular). Likewise for trolls in the Saturday pony threads, but the result of that is more entertainment than annoyance, I suppose.

Broncos threads are fair game for Ponies. Hell, it usually says so in the headline.

/sorry I missed this troll circle jerk. As has been said, though, I love the way all the trolls can think about is pedophilia. Better not let them around children.

Keizer_Ghidorah:That's all fandoms. And your "pedophiles will prey on kids using this new thing" fears have been brought up with EVERY SINGLE TOY/SHOW EVER. The Nintendo DS got this, World of WarCraft got it, Disneyland gets it, hell Facebook and Twitter get it. Yes, the potential is there, but that doesn't automatically mean it WILL happen, and it's a slight chance.

Exactly. Which is why every fandom acknowledges that either it's a few freaks, or they try to not get kids mixed into it*. They don't say their fandom is different, that it would never happen, lalalalalaPONIES! Maybe bronies do try to herd kids away from the adult-side of things, I don't know I'm not involved with them. ITT, trying to have a discussion about it leads to reactive shutting down of discussion via trolling and meme. Yeah yeah, welcome to Fark.

Maybe the bronies are reactionary because they're accused so often. This would be another worthwhile discussion. Alas, not meant to be. Guess what I'm saying is, enlighten an outsider who may or may not have those prejudices. Help us learn about your interest so we're not knee-jerky.

Duck_of_Doom:ds_4815: I think the memes posted here actually served to pique my curiosity and led me to start watching. Still can't fathom buying the products or (especially) going to cons, though.

Just the opposite here. This fandom shows itself to be obnoxious and divisive, willing to threadshiat what could be an interesting discussion. I have no problem with fandom's many shapes (your kink is not my kink, etc.), and I could care less what plastic you collect, or if you jerk it to pretty cartoon horses, or are just really really REALLY into the morality of a fantasy world. Fly your freak flag proudly. But for crying out loud, can't you admit that an unsupervised online game that will bring together both kids and exuberant adult fans may possibly get a little sketchy somewhere, or admit there is potential for wrongdoing? At the very least, do you really want some 6 year-olds in your raid of Cotton Candy Castle, wiping on Baby Sleipnir until their 8 p.m. bedtime? God, imagine the loot drama.

That's all fandoms. And your "pedophiles will prey on kids using this new thing" fears have been brought up with EVERY SINGLE TOY/SHOW EVER. The Nintendo DS got this, World of WarCraft got it, Disneyland gets it, hell Facebook and Twitter get it. Yes, the potential is there, but that doesn't automatically mean it WILL happen, and it's a slight chance. The only way you're gonna keep your kids 100% safe from boogiemen is to lock them in titanium vaults until they're 18.

Bender The Offender:Keizer_Ghidorah: rustypouch: It amuses me how instantly defensive bronies become when people question their like of the show.

I think much of the distaste for bronies doesn't just come from the subject matter. They like a show aimed at little girls. Slightly odd, but so what? What really weirds people out is how obsessed the bronies are, how they are proud about it and try to convert us, and the sexualization of cartoon horses.

Funny thing: like in the general population, there is a huge variety of likes, dislikes, personalities, etc in any fandom. The same with the MLP fandom, there are those who are this, those who are that, those who are the other thing, those who are here, those who are there, etc etc.

So, maybe what gets them defensive is idiots who assume that all of them only like it because they're trying to rape children?

Because People in power are Stupid: Dhusk: Who keeps bringing up sexual subject matter and pedophilia?

You just did.

You're very Boobies:

Because People in power are Stupid: Real headline: Pedophile website to lure children shut down.

Hmmmm.

Boobies? Who the fark are you trying to kid, Chester? You'd run howling at the first site of pubescent traits.

Because People in power are Stupid:Keizer_Ghidorah: So now we're doing the "If you're not one of us, THEN YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!!" schtick? Anyone who doesn't talk and act with frothing rage against Bronies is "their kind"? In your mind there are only "us" and "them", not a range of people?

You sound like a Republican.

And you sound like you want your deviance to be accepted -for you to be able to post pony pics in peace. To free to live in a world where friendship is magic and all problems are solved within a 1/2 hour timespan (minus commercial breaks). Moreover, you want what all bronies want -to freely tell the world that you love little children not in a sick pervy way -but in a way where each child gets a magic pony ride to a world where each cartoon pony has a non phallic horn sticking out of their forehead. A place where magic is real and sharing happens.

Am I right?

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not going to happen, sicko. Not on my watch.

Well, you both just blew your trolling covers. Good effort, I'll admit, but you had to overreach and expose yourselves.

Because People in power are Stupid:Keizer_Ghidorah: Because People in power are Stupid: Keizer_Ghidorah: ... little girls are targeted by Bronies... "Target" doesn't mean "Only". People are allowed to like and enjoy things that aren't "targeted" at them.

So you are just letting that slide -huh? Well I won't. You are sick!

You go with that manipulating and lying, if it makes you feel special. Idiot.

Now, how about answering my question?

Prove that your not a Bronie or any other kind of deviant pervert and I will consider talking to you. Otherwise I risk imprisonment by associating with your kind.

So now we're doing the "If you're not one of us, THEN YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!!" schtick? Anyone who doesn't talk and act with frothing rage against Bronies is "their kind"? In your mind there are only "us" and "them", not a range of people?

No matter how pathetic you think the bronies are, being an obsessive hypocritical hater will always make you worse.

I will answer in the Brony style... with a picture

[www.zen28158.zen.co.uk image 320x240]

In short, no.

The bronies put up pictures of ponies.

The first chance you got in this thread, you brought up the subject of pedophilia, and now you post the picture of a cartoon child.

I'm getting the vibe here that the bronies are not the one we should be worried about here.

The first thing the trolls and haters always bring up when "discussing" MLP is pedophilia. They're convinced that anyone over 5 years old only pretends to like it so they can rape children. How? They never explain, they just keep screaming "PEDOS!". They're the ones obsessed with child rape.

WTF were they expecting? I think the best outcome here is that they were shut down, but aren't going to have to pay the $150k in statutory damages for the copyright infringement and $1.5M in statutory damages for trademark infringement.